


The Slow Process of Waking Up

by ShamanicShaymin



Series: Shaymin's Drabble Garden [7]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Temporary Character Death, Everybody Lives, Gen, Implied/Referenced Anxiety Attack, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, It's not fun being Chara, Mild Dissociation, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Binary Chara, Non-Binary Frisk, POV Second Person, Post-True Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Present Tense, Soft Chara, That said the fic is still pretty tame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-07
Updated: 2018-02-07
Packaged: 2019-03-14 21:16:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13598556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShamanicShaymin/pseuds/ShamanicShaymin
Summary: Despite their newfound happy ending, old habits die hard, and Chara is still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Asriel reminds them where they are, assuring them this is not a dream.





	The Slow Process of Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [WolffyLuna](https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolffyLuna/gifts).



> Oh snap. I'm writing a treat for a fic exchange? The end of the world truly is coming. Not that I'm complaining, I rather like this turn of events. :P I hope this isn't too dark! I did my best to stick with what little canon was revealed about Chara and no deeper than that. The rest of the blanks got filled in by my own personal headcanons. I like to believe that in the True Pacifist route, Chara and Asriel made up and nobody can stop me. XD And in an outcome where Chara lives? I imagine the two of them learning to have a less destructive relationship (be they friends, siblings, etc) and free from the constraints and pressures the situation Underground has placed on them, giving them room to grow and a chance to be kids again. This ficlet is meant to be one of the ways I explore that. :)

“Chara?”  
  
You blink at the mention of your name. _That’s right... Chara. The demon that comes when you call its name._

It’s Asriel Dreemurr—not Flowey, not Hyperdeath, but Asriel—standing in front of you. For the past hour, you’ve been sitting under a giant tree hugging your knees. You’d agreed to go on a picnic on Mt. Ebott with your newfound friends and family, and amidst the excitement, you needed to find space for yourself and calm down. Unfortunately, being alone with your thoughts sometimes wasn’t the best idea.

You remember what it was like before you fell down this same mountain: living on the surface had been a nightmare. Living in the Underground had been a dream.

You remember waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for the other shoe to drop. It always did on the surface. Too many children were kind to you, only to end up betraying your trust because they were nothing more than fair-weather friends. Too many people were nice to you, only to be using you for their own agenda. Surely Asriel would do the same? You were surprised he could even stand to be around you, especially after whenever you’d been defensive or cruel towards him. While you believed you were no longer going to end up on the Dreemurr dinner plates, everything about your new parents and your best friend seemed too good to be true. They brought the kindness and unconditional love you’ve yearned for, and every day, you worried they would ultimately turn against you or worse—that you’d wake up inside a dusty attic from your village, locked up and forgotten forever.

Everything that followed after was too horrible to be part of a dream; if the Dreemurrs were too good to be true, why did they imagine their first and only friend being massacred by their own village? Why was it now—when it was least beneficial to him—that Asriel “betrayed” you and went back on the plan? Your village had brainwashed you into believing your torment would bring the world salvation. Shouldn’t the Underground be _better_ after your death, not worse? So of course after watching a human with an uncanny resemblance to you fumble timeline after timeline, you decided to wrench control of the dream by guiding them on a mutual quest against monsters and humanity.

Thank god you didn’t succeed.

Despite everything you’d done: you and Frisk working together to save monsters once and for all, saving Asriel, and the lengths Frisk had gone to glitch the system to rebuild his soul and bring _you_ back to life… you are still afraid of “waking up.”

Heh. Some things don’t change.

“What is it, Ree?” you finally answer.

“You look kind of out of it.” The familiar concern crosses his face.

“I’m fine.” you lie, shaking your head.

But Asriel is persistent. He calls you again and says:

“Take my paws.”

What? With skepticism—and maybe hesitance—you do.

“What now?” you ask.

“Tell me everything about them. What do they look like? How do they feel?”

Oh... _oh._ You understand where he’s going with this. It was taught to you and Frisk and Asriel and everyone else...

“Your hands are bigger than mine,” you begin. “They’re like the size of baseball mitts. You’ve got black paw pads on your palm and fingers—they’re tough, yet sensitive. Surrounding them is your fur.”

“And... what is that fur like?”

“White. Soft. Fluffy.”

“What am I wearing today?” Asriel murmurs, guiding your hand along his arm.

“You’re wearing your favorite sweater, the one with the green and yellow stripes on it. Judging by the yarn, it must be homemade.”

“Do you know who made it?”

“Tori—I mean Mom.”

“Yeah! That’s right!” Asriel beams. “You’re doing great, Chara. What do you feel now...?”

“Your cheek. Everything is white and furry again.”

“What about here...?”

“I’m touching the top of your head. I can feel two hard bumps here—your horns are growing.”

“And... what about this...?”

“It’s your ear. It reminds me of a rabbit or a cocker spaniel. It’s long… and soft… and sensitive…” You smile. “...And something I love to pull.”

“Owwww!” Asriel cries as you yank him. Once he gets his bearings though, he laughs. “That’s the Chara I know!”

“...Thanks Ree.” You smile again, warmer this time.

“Hey guys!” Frisk emerges from some nearby bushes, holding a basket packed to the brim with berries. “The blackberries are ripe this season, and I picked a whole bunch! Want some?”

“Sure!” Asriel cheers. “What about you, Chara?”  
  
“I don’t see why not.” you reply.

“These berries are for everyone!” Frisk grins, handing a batch to you and Asriel. “I might need some help getting everyone’s attention though. Undyne and Papyrus turned the picnic into a Street Fighter stage and I don’t know where Toriel and Asgore are. Sans is knocked out like a light!”  
  
“He really does sleep through everything…” you sigh.

“Let’s go, Chara!” Asriel tugs your hand after stuffing the berries in his mouth. “And Chara… I’m here for you, no matter what. And we don’t have to do it alone... not anymore.”

Somewhere inside, you know he’s right.


End file.
